Resources

Appalachian Highlands Resources for Native Plants – 2022
(Commercial entities are not endorsed, just listed as possible resources)

Where can I see a garden of native plants?

• Jacob’s Nature Park, Johnson City, TN
• Blue Ridge Discovery Center, Konarock, VA (south of Chilhowie)
• Damascus Trail Center, Damascus, VA
• Steele Creek Park, Bristol, TN
• Discovery Gardens, Gray Fossil Site, Gray, TN

I’d like more background on the importance of wildlife habitat.

• Bringing Nature Home by Douglas W. Tallamy
• Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard by Douglas W. Tallamy
• The Nature of Oaks by Douglas W. Tallamy
• The Living Landscape by Rick Darke & Doug Tallamy
• Gardening With the Native Plants of Tennessee: The Spirit of Place by Margie Hunter
• Garden Revolution by Larry Weaner and Thomas Christopher

I’d like guidance in designing my native habitat and selecting native plants. Where can I talk to a knowledgeable nurseryman within about 2-3 hours from the Tri Cities?

• Wood Thrush Natives (Floyd, VA) https://woodthrushnatives.com/
• Shy Valley Farm (Fall Branch, TN) Shy Valley Farm
• Tennessee Naturescapes (Oliver Springs, TN) Tennessee Naturescapes
• Overhill Gardens (Vonore, TN, 3 hrs.) https://overhillgardens.com/index.html
• Carolina Natives (Burnsville, NC) Carolina Native Nursery
• Paragraph Designs (Johnson City, TN) https://paragraphdesigns.com/

I’m ready for a native plant buying road trip, where can I go?

• Mid-Atlantic Natives (Cobbs Creek, VA) https://midatlanticnatives.com/
• Hummingbird Hill Natives (Charlottesville, VA) http://www.hummingbirdhillnatives.com/
• Gardens of the Blue Ridge (Danielsville, GA) https://gardensoftheblueridge.com/
• Native Plant Rescue Squad, (Knoxville, TN)   https://www.nativeplantrescuesquad.org/
• Carolina Native Nursery (Burnsville, NC) https://www.carolinanativenursery.com/
• Mellow Marsh (Siler City, NC) https://www.mellowmarshfarm.com/
• Wetland Plants Inc (Edenton, NC) https://www.wetlandplantsinc.com/
• GroWild, Inc (>3 hrs, Fairview, TN) https://www.growildinc.com/
• Reflection Riding: https://reflectionriding.org/buy-native-plants

How can I get the unusual native plants not available locally?

• Roundstone Seeds (KY) https://roundstoneseed.com/
• Izel Native Plants (online) https://www.izelplants.com/
• Toadshade WF Farm: https://www.toadshade.com/
• Prairie Nursery (Westfield, WI) Prairie Nursery
• Prairie Moon Nursery (Winona, MN) Prairie Moon Nursery
• Ernst Seeds (Meadville, PA) https://www.ernstseed.com/

I like to go to workshops and meet people with similar interests, are there any in the area?

• The Cullowhee Native Plant Conference (Cullowhee, NC) Western Carolina University – The Cullowhee Native Plant Conference (wcu.edu)
• Plant Natives 2022! – Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones (tnvalleywildones.org)
• Native Plant Symposium, Highlands Biological Station,  Highlands, NC https://highlandsbiological.org/
• Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage, GSMNP-https://www.wildflowerpilgrimage.org/
• Native Plants in the Landscape (Millersville, PA) Native Plants in the Landscape Conference at Millersville – Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve (bhwp.org)

It’s a rainy day for me to browse native plant Web sites, give me some starters.

• Wild Ones https://wildones.org/
• Wild Ones Appalachian Highlands Chapter
• Bringing Nature Home, Doug Tallamy http://www.bringingnaturehome.net
• Homegrown National Park http://homegrownnationalpark.org
• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center http://www.wildflower.org/
• VA Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/habitat/
• TN Native Plant Society https://www.tnps.org/
• VA Native Plant Society https://vnps.org/
• Tennessee-Kentucky Plant Atlas https://tennessee-kentucky.plantatlas.usf.edu/

Where can I learn if a plant is native to my area?

• USDA Plants Database http://plants.usda.gov/java
• BONAP http://bonap.org/
• National Wildlife Federation Plant finder https://www.nwf.org/nativeplantfinder/
• Audubon Society Plant Database https://www.audubon.org/native-plants
• Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora vaplantatlas.org

I like reference books to consult, any suggestions?

• The Southeast Native Plant Primer by Larry Mellichamp and Paula Gross
• Wildflowers and Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont by Timothy P. Spira
• Wildflowers by William Cullina
• Native Trees, Shrubs and Vines by William Cullina
• Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians by Dennis Horn, Tavia Cathcart, and Tom Hemmerly
• Butterflies of Tennessee by Rita Venable
• Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee: The Spirit of Place by Margie Hunter

How can I get rid of those nasty weeds and invasive plants?

• Invasive.Org
• A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests: https://wiki.bugwood.org/Archive:IPSF
• Tennessee Invasive Plant Council (tnipc.org)
• Invasive Plants Species List (virginia.gov)
• Blue Ridge PRISM Inc – Invasive Species in the northern Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia

What are some native plant podcasts I can listen to?

• Native Plant Podcast
• Growing Greener
• In Defense of Plants
• Native Plants Healthy Planet
• Nature Revisited